On this day in 2011, Brendan Rodgers’ Swansea City became the first Welsh team to play in the Premier League when they paid a visit to Manchester City at Etihad in the 2011-12 season opener. Swansea did play in England’s top flight league between 1981 to 1983, but no club, outside England, had reached the Premier League since its formation in 1992.

Having finished third in the Championship prior to the 2011-12 season, Swansea defeated Nottingham Forest in the semi-final of the Championship playoffs, before getting the better of Reading by four goals to two in the final at Wembley, with Scott Sinclair scoring a hattrick. Ahead of their first Premier League campaign, Swansea signed striker Danny Graham from Watford for the club’s then record fee £3.5 million.

Their opening game was a complete disaster as they were scheduled to play one of the title challengers, Manchester City. They somehow managed to keep the scoreline intact at 0-0 until half-time, but soon after the restart, Cityzens showed their domination, with goals from Edin Džeko, Sergio Agüero and David Silva handing City a 4-0 win.

Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon announced on Thursday that he will be leaving the Italian football club after 17 years, a long career that has seen him become one of the world’s most recognizable faces in the sport.

If football is a religion, then money is a very important part of it in today’s time. Each week, millions of dollars change hands between clubs and players, fans and ticket offices, and sponsors and clubs. And money has taken over football in today’s time. Look at the squads of some teams which have every possible superstar in their squad. English Premier League is the most watched league in the world and the latest figure released show five out of 10 clubs have the most expensive squads in today’s time.

Great achievements to rare records and sheer coincidence. Some amazing records that will blow your mind. Football is, without doubt, the most followed sport in the world. Let us look at some of the mindblowing football facts.

Bollywood stars and football is loved by thousands in the country. From Abhishek Bachchan to Ranbir Kapoor, from Amitabh Bachchan to Arjun Kapoor are die-hard football fans. Let’s have a look at which Bollywood actor supports which football club.

Eight of the footballers who were famously known as Busby Babes; Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Mark Jones, Duncan Edwards, Billy Whelan, Tommy Taylor, David Pegg and Geoff Bent lost their lives in the tragic Munich air disaster on 6th February 1958.

Manchester United has a very slim chance of catching Manchester City on top of the table this time around but Jose Mourinho will be hoping that next season Red Devils finally win the title which they last won in 2012-2013.

Despite being the top spenders in the transfer market by a fair distance, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has claimed that he wants the Manchester-based club to sign another defender. Guardiola has completely overhauled his full-back positions having let go Pablo Zabaleta, Bacary Sagna, Gael Clichy and Aleksandar Kolarov. He has replaced them with Kyle Walker, Benjamin Mendy and Danilo.

City have spent close to £130m on the full-backs itself but Guardiola has claimed that he would like to bring in another defender, preferably a centre-back. Speaking to the press, Guardiola said, “I am happy with John Stones, Vincent Kompany and Nicolas Otamendi. We don’t have too much more to spend. We have spent a lot because we didn’t have a lot of guys. But if the market gives us a chance we are going to try to sign (a defender).”

Manchester City have confirmed the signing of AS Monaco and France full-back Benjamin Mendy for a fee which is believed to be a world-record fee paid for a defender. City are believed to have paid a fee of around £52m for the left-back. The fee eclipses the £50m paid by Paris St. Germain for Brazilian defender David Luiz when they brought him from Chelsea. Manchester City now have the three most defenders in the English game in their lineup in the form of full-backs Benjamin Mendy and Kyle Walker and centre-back John Stones.

City made the announcement of the signing from Los Angeles where they are training for the upcoming Premier League season:

Pep Guardiola has widely been regarded as a coach who has the ability to completely transform a team and it’s fortunes around. He did so at an underperforming Barcelona, ushering in a golden generation at the Catalan club, the successes of which, they are still reaping. That notion though has taken a beating with his somewhat underwhelming spell in Bavaria with Bayern Munich and now at Manchester City, where he has struggled to come to grips with the intensity of English football.

Gone are the days of developing youngsters for the Spaniard. He has realized that to succeed in English football, he’ll have to spend millions like the others. But in doing so, he has not strayed away from his philosophy and brought in players which will suit the style of play he wants to enforce upon English football. Whether he succeeds in doing so or not, will define his legacy. If he leads Manchester City to the laurels which the Abu Dhabi royalty so desperately crave for, he will go down as one of the greatest managers in history, a pioneer and an innovator. If he doesn’t, his legacy will be that of being a gaffer, who inherited two of the greatest squads in modern times at Barcelona and Bayern Munich and succeeding simply due to the rich resources at his disposal.

Manchester City have agreed a €57.5m (£52m) fee with AS Monaco for transfer of Benjamin Mendy and the France international is set to undergo his medical this week, as per the reports from the Guardian. Mendy will now become the most expensive defender by surpassing Kyle Walker’s £50 million move to Etihad.

Manchester City’s pursuit of a left-back is well documented given the fact that they have already released Gael Clichy while Aleksandar Kolarov is close on sealing his £6.3 million move to Roma. It is reported that City have acquired Mendy’s services after getting rejected for a whopping fee three times. Quite recently, the Sky Blues moved out of the box and made a £44.5million offer for the 23-year-old, but faced the similar fate as Monaco demanded the similar fee they paid of Kyle Walker a few days back, i.e., £50 million.

Ligue 1 champions AS Monaco are really holding their own in the current transfer window and are now making some serious demands from the clubs who want to buy their top stars. They have now rejected a £44.5m bid from Manchester City for Benjamin Mendy, saying that they want more money, reports the Daily Telegraph. The French side has demanded £50m plus add-ons, which could make the total sum reach around £53m, a fee that Pep Guardiola’s side paid to acquire Kyle Walker from north London giants Tottenham.

The French left-back is four years younger than Walker and the club feels that he is surely better than the Spurs man, hence the demand is nothing illogical and are sticking to their stand of demanding more money to let him go.

The report further adds that the Premier League holders Chelsea have also made an enquiry for the availability of the player, which would have really gotten Monaco’s hopes up of cashing in on their young star. The Blues were earlier trying to sign Alex Sandro from Serie A champions Juventus, though they were not ready to pay their asking price and eventually turned their attention towards the Frenchman.

At the age of 23, he is still a bright young prospect, who has a long future ahead of him and can be an asset to the clubs from England, if the move does indeed go through. Monaco has been at the centre of all the transfer market action this summer, with many big clubs from Europe trying their best to buy as many of their highly talented stars as possible.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Aleksandar Kolarov has asked the Spaniard to leave and has further admitted that the Serbian is close on sealing a £6.3 million move back to Rome.

The 31-year-old versatile defender has entered his final year of the contract and City, on their part, want him finish off his contract. Guardiola, however, has said that he won’t stand in the players’ way “who don’t want to stay”. And with his departure, City will be exposed defensively as they have already released the likes of Gael Clichy, Bacary Sagna, while Pablo Zabaleta has joined West Ham United on a free transfer.

Manchester City fans will now be forced into subscribing for MUTV if they wish to watch the Manchester derby in Houston. Unfortunately for them, Manchester United’s in-house TV station is the sole rights holder in both the UK and Ireland, forcing the proud supporters of City to opt for a £7 subscription to the rival club’s broadcaster.

The news came from City’s website, telling fans they could watch the game if they chose this only option. The article on this news was taken down after angry supporters expressed outrage against something so demeaning for them.

The two teams will face each other in the International Champions Cup in Houston’s NRG Arena in the early hours of the day. Their Beijing schedule was annulled because of the quality of pitch at Bird’s Nest Stadium, so this will be their first meeting taking place outside English shores.

Viewers can always opt to watch the derby live by streaming it illegally, but this might not be a viable or safe option for anyone. The reactions are strange due to the fact that £7 might not be a high price, but the thought of subscribing to the opposing team’s TV station can light a few hairs on fire.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has claimed that he is not interested in signing Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez and is satisfied with the strike duo of Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero, who he has at his disposal. He also claimed that City need to make four more signings to be competitive in all the competitions.

Manchester City have been linked with want-away Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez throughout the summer. Sanchez has only one year left on his current deal but Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has repeatedly said that the Chilean won’t be sold this summer. When quipped about signing Sanchez, Guardiola said at a press conference, “We have two really good strikers with Sergio and Gabriel. In that position we are good. The problem we had last season was Gabriel was out for a long time and I would like to have both Sergio and Gabriel play more games together. Last season, we had a lack of goals despite creating a lot of chances. It was a little bit of a problem. Of course, the responsibility to score goals is not just on Sergio and Gabriel. It is also on the wingers. But Sane had a very good six months in the second half of the season. He was outstanding and made a huge step forward. In the beginning, he was a bit shy but he showed his quality.”

While earlier reports had suggested something totally different, a recent one claims that Pep Guardiola has sent out a warning to the champions of England, Chelsea, suggesting that the Argentine striker will not leave the Etihad in the current transfer window, even if Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez joins them. The 29-year-old former Atletico Madrid man was linked with the Blues in recent times, who have just signed Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid.

Since the arrival of Gabriel Jesus at City, Aguero has been linked with a move away from the club, which he joined back in 2011, and the player did lose his first team spot last season, due to various reasons. In recent times, the claims of a departure were stronger than ever and it seemed that an exit could have been on the cards. However, all doors have been slammed shut now by Guardiola, who has strongly said that the player will not be leaving the club anytime soon.

“You know my opinion on Sergio. I said many times last season and he’s our player. He will remain here,” Guardiola was quoted by the Sun.

Despite constant speculation about his future he still managed to find the net 33 times for City. The revelation comes from Houston, Texas, prior to City’s big game against their domestic neighbours Manchester United.

Chelsea are set to suffer another blow in the transfer window, as reports from Sky Italia claim that their Premier League rivals Manchester City are poised to beat them for the transfer of Real Madrid right-back Danilo.

The Premier League champions were widely tipped to complete the £31 million transfer of the Brazilian, after fending off interest from Serie A champions Juventus, but according to Sky Italia, they are on the verge of losing another of their top targets, as Danilo is in advanced negotiations with the Citizens.

Antonio Conte, who signed a new two-year contract with the club on Tuesday, has been beaten by Manchester United to the signing of Romelu Lukaku earlier in the summer and now look set to be trumped by the other Manchester club for the right-back.

Chelsea have identified the full-back positions as something that needs reinforcement, considering the extra number of games they will be playing following their return to the UEFA Champions League. They were also linked with a move for Juventus left-back Alex Sandro, but that move hit a snag too. However, Danilo was reported to be close to completing a transfer to the Stamford Bridge.

West Ham United have finally made some significant inroads in the transfer market. The Hammers completed the signing of Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart on a season long loan and are on the verge of bringing in Marko Arnautovic from Stoke City for a club record £24 million, as per reports from the Guardian.

Hart was deemed surplus to requirements by manager Pep Guardiola upon his arrival last summer, and had spent the last season away on loan, at Serie A side Torino. And following the record signing of Ederson Moraes from SL Benfica earlier this summer, the England international’s hopes of a comeback at the Etihad were all but dashed.

West Ham boss Slaven Bilic was keen on bringing Hart in, after seeing Darren Randolph and Adrian struggle for consistency last season. The move is set to cost the East Londoners £4.5 million in total – £2 million loan fee to the Citizens and £2.5 million in player wages.

“It’s important for me to play football and to get the opportunity to come here and play is absolutely awesome,” Hart told West Ham TV. “To be playing in the Premier League for a big club like West Ham, I’m really looking forward to the season.

It has been all over the news now that Premier League champs Chelsea have taken their search for a new striker to a whole new level. After chasing a number of top stars for quite some time and being unable to sign them, the Blues are considering adding Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero to their squad now, as they look to reinforce their front line.

The fact that Diego Costa will leave the Bridge this summer means that Conte needs someone worthy enough to replace him in the squad and a report from Sky Sports suggests that the west London outfit’s interest in the attacker is quite serious.

Conte had made it clear to the Brazilian born attacker that he was not part of his plans for the future, which left him with no choice but to look for a new club to play for.

Manchester City have shown a strong interest in Napoli’s 34-year-old shot-stopper and if the report from The Guardian is be believed, they have already lodged a £2.5m bid for the former Liverpool man. The Daily Telegraph has, however, claimed that their attempt has been brushed off by the Italian outfit as they want at least £4.4 million for the 34-year-old.

Having said that, should the transfer goes through, eyebrows will be raised regarding Claudio Bravo’s future at the Etihad. Besides, Guardiola’s transfer dealings will also be questioned given the fact that soon after his arrival, he sacked Joe Hart, claiming that he doesn’t fit in his plans. Hart eventually moved to Torino on loan. Claudio Bravo was brought, but the Chilean failed miserably in his debut season at the Etihad, making a number of errors which eventually cost City some valuable points.

Manchester United and Manchester City are both doing something in remembrance of the victims of the Manchester bombing in May. The derby match in Houston next week will feature both teams wearing a shirt with a bee symbol on the front, as a show of solidarity for a tragedy that shook their entire city.

The game will be the first-of-its-kind Manchester derby to be held outside UK, (in Houston’s NRH Stadium) and also the first time the two teams have faced off since the terrorist attack which claimed the lives of 22 people and injured 62.

The shirts for the match will be available for purchase via auction later on Friday, with all the proceeds going to the ‘We Love Manchester Emergency Funds.’ Both United and City are touring USA this summer, United arrived in LA and City will fly down to Houston soon.

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City have agreed a £50 million, plus add-ons, fee with Tottenham Hotspur for their 27-year-old defender Kyle Walker, as per the reports from the Daily Telegraph. His £50 million move could rise to £53 million if certain expectations are met, and in the process, he will surpass David Luiz’s £50 million transfer to PSG back in 2014 and will become the most expensive defender in the history of the sport.

Independent has quoted that Walker has already travelled to Manchester and will undergo a medical on Friday before becoming the most expensive defender. Manchester City have long been chasing the 27-year-old Three-Lion, but Tottenham were reluctant on selling him. City initially tabled a £35m offer for the right-back, but Tottenham stood firm on their £50m valuation of the player. Eventually, City turned their heads towards Dani Alves, who terminated his contract with Juventus and was available on free.

Spanish football expert Graham Hunter has just said that Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is working on a possibility to bring in AS Monaco’s 18-year-old hotshot Kylian Mbappe at the Etihad.

The recently capped French international has grabbed a lot of attention thanks to his brilliant performance last season, which saw him scoring 15 goals and 8 assists in Ligue 1. Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid have been branded as the firm favourites in landing him, but Monaco are deemed on losing him.

Tottenham Hotspur are standing firm in their stance that they will not be bullied over into selling Eric Dier and Kyle Walker, reports the Daily Telegraph.

The North London outfit, for long, has been a feeder club for English and European heavyweights in the past. However, that is set to change now on as they are adamant that they will not be forced to sell two of their star players to direct rivals unless their terms are met.

Dier has been United manager Jose Mourinho’s top target in the summer as he looks to add more strength and stability to the defensive midfield area. It has been reported that the club have already have had a bid rejected for the 23-year old as Spurs insist that the England international is not for sale and are unlikely to change their position anytime soon.

The 23-year old can play in the backline as a centre-back or a right-back and can also slot in a defensive midfield position and Spurs know that a player of his capability and calibre will be hard to replace. They are, however, in advanced talks with Argentine club Estudiantes over the transfer of highly-rated 19-year defender old Juan Foyth, who can also play in midfield.

Walker, on the other hand, is considered expendable by the club and they have been in negotiations with Manchester City in order to hash out a deal for the 27-year old full-back. However, the talks have reportedly hit a snag with the Citizens unwilling to match up to Spurs’ asking price of £50 million for the Englishman.

Manchester City’s want-away goalkeeper Joe Hart is wanted by the fellow Premier League outfit West Ham United, as per the reports from BBC.

While the aforementioned source has added that Slaven Bilic is interested in signing him, the Daily Telegraph has quoted that they are only interested in a loan deal rather than a permanent one. The 30-year-old Englishman has been told to find a new club by Pep Guardiola and even though a number of clubs are interested in acquiring his signature, his massive wage demands of around £120,000 per week has proved out to be a major stumbling block.

Swansea City have rejected a bid for star from fellow Premier League club, Chelsea are set to make a £70m move for Real Madrid player, Newcastle United and Middlesbrough battling to sign Liverpool starlet on loan, Manchester United left-back wanted by Championship club and Jesus Navas a top target for newly promoted side – all this in our today’s Premier League transfer round-up;

Swansea Reject £40m Bid From Leicester For Sigurdsson

Swansea City have rejected a £40 million offer from Leicester City for the services of playmaker Gylfi Sigurdsson, and have slapped a £50 million price-tag on the 27-year old.

Sigurdsson, who was reportedly close on completing a move to Everton, has been the Swans’ best player in the past couple of years and has rightly been named the club Player of the Year for two years running now. Last season, he played a pivotal part in helping them stay up in the Premier League, with 9 goals and 13 assists. Ever since, he has attracted a lot of interest, but Everton were tipped to be the front-runners, with reports claiming a £32 million deal was close to being agreed upon.

The Foxes have emerged as surprise contenders now, as they are on the lookout for a replacement for Riyad Mahrez, but turns out a £40 million offer is not enough to sign the Icelandic international. A bidding war to ensue between the Toffees and Leicester, probably?

Arsenal are ready to sell one of their prized assets in Alexis Sanchez but are demanding £80million with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City willing to test Arsene Wenger’s resolve, reports Daily Mirror.

The source has further added that City’s official will table an initial bid of £50m for the Chilean, who only has a year left on his current Arsenal deal. The Gunner are ready to offer him a massive £300,00-a-week two-year contract, but the sources have quoted that Sanchez has already made up his mind of leaving the Emirates. £50m indeed wouldn’t be enough in this highly inflated transfer market and Arsenal, on their part, will be standing firm on their £50m valuation of the player.

Crystal Palace planning shock swoop for Barcelona defender, PSG to hijack City’s move for their top transfer target, Leicester City look to Everton man to bolster their midfield, Chelsea could sign two Real Madrid stars in a mega money deal and Everton on the verge to complete signing of Swansea star – all this in our today’s Premier League round-up;

De Boer To Move For Barcelona’s Vermaelen

Crystal Palace new manager Frank de Boer is planning a sensational move for Barcelona defender Thomas Vermaelen to solve his defensive woes.

The Belgian international has endured a torrid spell, ridden with injuries with the Catalans, following his move from Arsenal and finds himself out of favour at the Camp Nou. And De Boer wants to bring in the former Gunners’ captain to bolster his ranks ahead of the next season. Vermaelen still has two years left on his deal with Barca, but spent the last season on loan with AS Roma.

Palace are in the market for a new centre-back and have been linked with Mamadou Sakho of Liverpool but are unwilling to match the Reds’ £30 million valuation of the player, while a move for Ajax’s Joel Veltman has also been spoken about. (Mirror)

English giants, Manchester City are interested in investing in Indian Super League club Mumbai City FC after turning their attention away from Atletico de Kolkata. They have shown an interest in buying a minority stake in Atletico de Kolkata but Mumbai City FC remains their preferred option on the virtue of the club being based in a mega city like Mumbai.

According to Sportskeeda, Manchester City who are one of the biggest clubs in Europe and are managed by Pep Guardiola are heavily interested in investing in the ongoing football revolution in India. A source close to the negotiations told Sportskeeda, “City wants to buy in India, that is for sure. There are talks ongoing with them (ATK), but Mumbai was/is the preferred option because of it being a mega city.”

Juventus defender Dani Alves has confirmed his exit from the club, by posting a heartfelt message on his Instagram account, thanking Juventus’s supporters for their warm welcome and constant support.

Dani Alves, who terminated his contract with Barcelona back in 2016, joined the Turin-based club last summer on a free transfer and helped them to retain their Serie A honour. The Brazilian full-back also played a big role in Juventus’ Champions League quest, where they reached the final but lost out to Real Madrid.

The 34-year-old initially signed a two-year deal with the Old Lady and had an option to extend it for another year. However, with a mutual consent, Alves terminated his contract with Juventus, with club’s chief Giuseppe Marotta revealing that “Alves has decided to change his surroundings”. Since then, there have been rumours that Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is interested in a reunion.

While his time at Juventus, it was reported that the Old Lady would allow the Brazilian to leave for a mere price of £5m, but with him terminating his contract, he is available for free. Alves posted a photo of himself on Instagram and thanked the fans.

Zlatan Ibrahimovi? to receive contract offer from Spanish giants, German youngster makes revelation that he refused Liverpool, Manchester United have made a contract offer for Serie A midfield powerhouse, Leicester City keen on young Premier League striker and West Ham United to break transfer record for Arsenal man – all this in our today’s Premier League transfer round-up;

Atletico Madrid To Offer Ibrahimovi? A Contract

Spanish club Atletico Madrid are considering offering a contract to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, to add their options in attack once their transfer ban is lifted.

The Rojiblancos were close on signing Alexandre Lacazette from Olympique Lyon, but with their transfer ban upheld, the move fell through. Now the Frenchman reportedly heading to Arsenal, Atletico are left searching for strikers and have zeroed in on the giant Swede, who is currently a free agent, after he was released by Manchester United earlier this month.

Ibrahimovic, 35, had an excellent first and only season for United as he managed to score 28 goals from 46 appearances, until a knee injury cut his season short in April. The former PSG striker is currently recuperating from his injury at United’s Carrington facility. His huge wage demands could prove to be a stumbling block for Atletico. (AS)

Pep Guardiola’ Manchester City are hopeful of landing the likes of Juventus’ Dani Alves, Tottenham’s Kyle Walker and Monaco’s Benjamin Mendy before they travel to the United States to play their pre-season friendlies, as per the reports from the Daily Telegraph. Furthermore, the same source has added that Guardiola is still keen on Arsenal’s hotshot Alexis Sanchez and is willing to show patience in acquiring him.

There is no denying the fact that City are vying to acquire a couple of world-class full-backs having released the likes of Gael Clichy and Bacary Sagna earlier this month. Besides the French duo, Pablo Zabaleta has also completed his move to West Ham United, leaving the Citizen short on their defensive unit. Following all this, Guardiola has identified his former employee Dani Alves as a perfect replacement and also, Tottenham’s Kyle Walker.

Earlier it was reported that a fee of around £5m would be enough for landing the Brazilian sensation, but with him terminating his contract with the Old Lady, he is now available for free. Alves sure is a cheap option, but same cannot be said of Kyle Walker. Tottenham’s chairman Daniel Levy is holding on to his £50m price tag, but with the player reportedly willing to make a switch, the aforementioned source has said that a fee near to £45m will be negotiated.

Furthermore, with no real quality on the left flank as well, the Spanish gaffer has set his sights on Monaco’s 22-year-old left-back Benjamin Mendy. As if signing Bernardo Silva from the French outfit for £43.6m wasn’t enough, the Citizen are ready to raid them for the second time running. He, as expected, won’t come cheap as well, with a fee of near to £34.7m being touted as the perfect capital.

Liverpool monitoring Germany U-21 star very closely, Juventus to target Premier League full-back as Alex Sandro nears an exit, Swansea City reject a bid from Everton for star attacker, Arsenal and Manchester City working on a sensational swap deal and Bournemouth close to agreeing deal with Chelsea for another Blues’ player – all this in today’s Premier League transfer round-up;

Liverpool Scouting Max Meyer In U21 Euros

Liverpool are monitoring Germany starlet Max Meyer at the U-21 European Championships that are going on in Poland.

The Schalke winger, was reportedly a transfer target for the Reds and despite having signed Mohamed Salah from AS Roma last week, Jurgen Klopp remains keen on the youngster as he is aware of the loads of promise and potential that he possesses. Meyer has just a year left on his current deal with Schalke and is widely expected to leave, for a fee less than £20 million and Liverpool have a whole contingent of scouts watching Meyer in Poland, where he is currently representing the U-21s at the European championships.

A full Germany international, Meyer was the captain of the Germany team that won the silver medal at the Rio Olympics last year. (Daily Star)

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho wants club to splurge on Premier League striker instead of Real Madrid star, Manchester City want a buy-back clause in any potential sale of young starlet, Stoke City winger attracts interest from Italy, Tottenham to pay up for Portuguese midfielder and Everton to target Burnley forward  all this in our today’s Premier League transfer round-up:

Mourinho Doesnt Want Ronaldo; Asks Club To Spend £100m on Kane

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has informed his club to break the world record to bring Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane to Old Trafford rather than investing on bringing back Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid.

The 32-year old Ronaldo has been linked with a move away from the Galacticos following an investigation into tax fraud claims and United chief Ed Woodward was reportedly planning a £100 million outlay on bringing the FIFA Ballon d`Or winner back to the club. But now, Jose has urged his employers to make an approach for last season’s PL golden boot winner Harry Kane instead, who has been a long-term target for the club.

Tottenham are believed to be not willing to listen to offers for the striker, but a mind-blowing £100 million offer may get them talking.

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho wants club to splurge on Premier League striker instead of Real Madrid star, Manchester City want a buy-back clause in any potential sale of young starlet, Stoke City winger attracts interest from Italy, Tottenham to pay up for Portuguese midfielder and Everton to target Burnley forward – all this in our today’s Premier League transfer round-up:

Mourinho Doesn’t Want Ronaldo; Asks Club To Spend £100m on Kane

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has informed his club to break the world record to bring Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane to Old Trafford rather than investing on bringing back Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid.

The 32-year old Ronaldo has been linked with a move away from the Galacticos following an investigation into tax fraud claims and United chief Ed Woodward was reportedly planning a £100 million outlay on bringing the FIFA Ballon d`Or winner back to the club. But now, Jose has urged his employers to make an approach for last season’s PL golden boot winner Harry Kane instead, who has been a long-term target for the club.

Tottenham are believed to be not willing to listen to offers for the striker, but a mind-blowing £100 million offer may get them talking.

Nemanja Matic wants to leave Premier League champions, Chelsea, as he seeks reunion with former manager, while the Blues are set to enter the race for versatile midfielder from Arsenal, Barcelona to offer a player plus cash deal for Gunners’ full-back, Manchester City’s Nolito could be headed back to Spain and the Sky Blues are also monitoring 31-goal Bundesliga striker – all this in our today’s transfer round-up;

Matic Wants United Move To Work With Jose Again

Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic is seeking an exit from Premier League champions Chelsea as he desires a move to rivals Manchester United in order to work with former manager Jose Mourinho once again.

The Serbian has developed into a reliable figure at the Stamford Bridge since his return to West London in 2014 and has played an important role in helping the team to two Premier League titles in the last three years. However, with manager Antonio Conte seeking to add new faces to his midfield ahead of the upcoming campaign, Matic feels his days at the club are numbered and is left seeking an exit.

It is reported that Serie A champions Juventus also maintain an interest in the 28-year old midfielder, but Matic prefers to stay in the Premier League and would desire a move to the Old Trafford. (The Sun)

Chelsea Enter The Race To Sign The “Ox”

Premier League champions Chelsea have joined rivals Liverpool and Manchester City in the race to sign versatile Arsenal midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

The 23-year old Englishman is set to enter the final year of his contract with the Gunners and with no progress over negotiations for a new deal, his situation has peaked interests from several clubs. Manager Arsene Wenger had suggested previously that the player was willing to consider a new long term deal with the club, but reports claim that the “Ox” has grown frustrated with the lack of progress in the negotiations and as a result is mulling over his future at the club while away on holiday.

Oxlade-Chamberlain joined Arsenal in 2011 from Southampton and has gone out to represent the club 194 times, including 129 appearances in the Premier League. (Sky Sports)

With Manchester City looking to bring in suitable defensive reinforcement, manager Pep Guardiola has identified Juventus’ Dani Alves as a perfect player for the upcoming season and is set to offer his former employee a two-year contract, reports The Guardian.

Manchester City, back in May, released the likes of Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy and the French duo left a huge void to fill. To add further to it, another fullback in Pablo Zabaleta completed his move to West Ham United, hence, practically, the Citizens do not really have a natural right-back left at their disposal.

Reports have been making the rounds that Guardiola is quite interested in signing Tottenham’s Kyle Walker, but their pursuit might hit a roadblock given the fact that the Lilly-Whites are holding on to their £40m price tag for the player. Hence, an attempt to sign Dani Alves, with whom Pep Guardiola worked with during his tenure with Barcelona, has been made. The aforementioned source has added that the Turin-based outfit are open to listen offers for Alves, who joined the Old Lady last summer on a free transfer on a two-year deal, and have told to pay a peanut amount of £5m for the Brazilian.

The opening week of the Premier League sets a tone. Well, that’s what we think most of the time. However, it cannot really be applied practically. A defeat can certainly bring down all the moral, but some teams have defied the odds. To be specific, Manchester United lost their opening games of the 1992/93, 1995/96 and 2012/13 season, but went on to lift the trophy eventually. And Sky has quite rightly quoted that “the opening game is more of an indicator of past success than future glory”.

The English League has always been a topsy-turvy ride and the new 2017-18 season will be no exception. With the fixtures (of the new season) now out, here we take a look at some of the biggest matches of the season.

Note: The list has been quoted as vice-versa (for example: In Arsenal vs Liverpool, the away leg has been mentioned in the same)

Arsenal vs Liverpool –

The London derby always keeps its spectators on toe and expect some fireworks this time around as well. The stats have never supported Wenger’s men as Arsenal have lost three of their last four opening fixtures, Remeber the 4-3 thrashing at hands of Liverpool last season? To add further to their misery, Arsenal have collected more red cards than any other Premier League team on the opening weekend, 6 to be specific.

On August 26th, a trip to the Anfield has been scheduled. Last season’s opening day defeat will be in their mind if they tend to take any sort of revenge. The return leg, at the Emirates, will be concluded in the year itself as the Reds will travel to London on two days before Christmas (December 23).

Aston Villa are trying to make a marquee signing in order to push their promotion bid. Manchester City are not messing around in the transfer market and are eyeing two of best talents in the Premier League to boost their title hopes for the upcoming season. One of Manchester United’s main targets agent has confirmed interest from the Manchester giants. All this and more in our today’s Premier League transfer round-up.

Manchester City have officialy confirmed the signing of Benfica goalkeeper Ederson Moraes, and Independent have reported that The Citizens have cashed in around £35m to acquire his signature. The Brazilian stopper has penned down a six-year contract with Manchester City.

Pep Guardiola’s spending spree has continued as Ederson has now become the Spaniard’s second signing ahead of the summer transfer window, after the arrival of Bernardo Silva for a fee reported to be around £43.6m from the French side AS Monaco. Till date, the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich gaffer has now spent £78m in just two players and is well expected to go for more as the likes of Benjamin Mendy (AS Monaco) and Kyle Walker (Tottenham) are constantly linked with City.

Ederson was quite a revelation for the Portuguese side past summer, guiding the Águias to a league double: Primeira Liga and Taça de Portugal. Playing 27 league games, the 23-year-old managed 17 clean sheets, averaging near to 4 saves per game. Know for his quick reflexes and pinpoint distribution, Ederson made some of the best point-blank saves last season which immediately made him an utter crowd favourite.

Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart has confirmed his departure from Torino after spending one year on loan, and has thanked the fans by saying that ‘he will come back to see them all one day’.

Soon after Pep Guardiola’s arrival at the Etihad, the Spanish gaffer made his intentions about having a ball playing shot-stopper quite clear, hence the English international, Joe Hart, was shown the exit doors on a permanent basis. The Chilean international Claudio Bravo was brought, but that move eventually backfired as the former Barcelona man failed to deliver what was promised. Silly errors and his inability to run the defenders cost the Citizens some valuable points, hence, questions were quite rightly raised about Guardiola’s decision of sacking Hart and bringing in Claudio Bravo.

Arsenal goalkeeper seeking permanent exit, forgotten forward wants to leave Manchester City, Arsenal forward finds more suitors in Spain, Tottenham Hotspur have beaten rivals Manchester United to sign Turkish wonderkid and Manchester City to announce new signing for world record fee – all this in our today’s Premier League transfer round-up;

Szczesny To Leave Arsenal Permanently

Arsenal shot-stopper Wojciech Szczesny is set for a permanent move away from the Emirates after his two-year loan spell at Italian club AS Roma came to an end.

The Polish international has reportedly agreed to join another Serie A side, Napoli, on a three-year deal with Roma not keen on a permanent deal for the keeper as they see Brazilian Alisson as their No.1 for the future. The 27-year old has already held talks with Napoli and has agreed terms for a three-year contract and now the Partenopei need to reach an agreement with the Gunners for the move to go through.

Pablo Zabaleta will leave Manchester City after nine years with the club and the club organized a well-thought tribute to send off the footballer. City TV invited fans to express their love for the now former right-back; the fans didn’t know, however, that Zabaleta was actually backstage listening to their speeches. Zabaleta appeared from behind the curtain to say thanks and give his fans a warm hug of appreciation. The video cleverly gave fans, both viewing and on-screen, a dose of surprise and a touching moment of appreciation to a once prominent part of Manchester City.

West Ham has confirmed Zabaleta will be signed on a two-year contract starting next season. Pablo Zabaleta, the Argentina international, joined City in 2008 and in one decade, the club won two titles each of the Premier League, the FA Cup and the League cup. The footballer had a prolific last match to suit his leave, with City beating Watford 5-0 and giving him a righteous end to his legacy within the club.

Here’s the video with Zabaleta hiding behind the curtain from unsuspecting fans,

It has been just a week since the curtains were drawn on the Premier League, but Manchester City are wasting no time in preparing for the upcoming campaign. The Citizens kicked off the summer by signing attacking midfielder Bernardo Silva from AS Monaco for a fee of £43 million.

The 22-year old has been regarded as one of the most bright and promising talents in Europe and is sure to generate a lot of excitement among the City fans ahead of the next season.

Here we take a look at five things you need to know about Pep Guardiola’s latest addition to the squad:

1. Nicknamed ‘Messizinho’

During his academy days at Benfica, Silva was nicknamed as ‘Messizinho’ or ‘Little Messi’ due to the similarities in the stature between him and the Barcelona’s maestro and also due to the magic that the Portuguese weaves with his left foot, much like Leo.

Watford FC in negotiations for managerial appointment, Arsenal forward prefers a return back to Spain in the summer, Pep Guardiola increasingly confident of signing English full-back, but faces competition from former club in the race for Arsenal’s talisman and Italian club AC Milan join race for in-demand French hitman – all this in our today’s Premier League transfer round-up:

Marco Silva In Negotiations With Watford

Former Hull City manager Marco Silva is deep in negotiations with Premier League side Watford FC to take over the post of the manager ahead of next season. The Hornets let go of Walter Mazzarri after a poor end to the season and have been looking at Silva as the ideal replacement.

The 38-year old took over at Hull in January and almost managed to produce a magical turnaround to keep the Tigers up, but having failed to do so, he decided to resign by activating a clause in his contract that allowed him to leave the club. Silva, a former manager at Sporting Lisbon and Olympiakos, led the Tigers to eight wins during his 22 games in-charge.

Manchester City have confirmed the signing of AS Monaco’s midfield stalwart Bernardo Silva on a five-year deal, and The Guardian have further elaborated that the Citizens have paid £43.6m to Monaco to acquire his signature.

The 22-year-old, who arrived at Manchester on Thursday ahead of his scheduled medical on Friday, will be wearing a number 20 jersey. Silva has now become Pep Guardiola’s first summer signing at the Etihad. Furthermore, with his arrival, the likes of David Silva and Kevin de Bruyne will have to stand on their toes as the 22-year-old Portuguese is well capable of acquiring the first team spot all by himself. With his dribbling compared to Lionel Messi, it will now be interesting to see how he fares in the next season of the Premier League where everything will be on line.

“It feels great. To be honest I’m now at one of the best teams in the world. To be part of this club and to have this opportunity is great. Silva told City’s website.

“I’m very happy to be part of City’s team and I look forward to trying to do my best to help the team reach their goals. Of course, when you have the opportunity of being trained by Guardiola, you don’t say no. If not the best coach in the world, he is one of the best.

“What he did in Barcelona and Bayern Munich was amazing and we expect also here that he will win titles. It’s great to be working with him and to have this opportunity.”

Manchester City defender Pablo Zabaleta has completed his move to Slaven Bilic’s West Ham on a two-year deal and will join the Hammers on 1st of July when his contract with the Citizens expires.

Earlier this month, the Argentine made his intentions of leaving the Etihad very clear, hence, his availability made a number of Premier League clubs running around him. His experienced legs and his desire to put everything on the pitch will be of great use to West Ham and the fact that the Hammers do not have a quality fullback – as Arbeloa will leave the premises at the end of the season – will further enhance their defensive unit.

The 32-year-old, in his nine years of tenure with the club, made more than 300 appearances and in the process, established himself as an undroppable personnel in the squad. Naming two Premier League titles and one FA Cup medal to his name during his illustrious Manchester City tenure, Zabaleta was restricted to just 11 Premier League starts this season.

Soon after his announcement of departure, the Argentine – who was the first buy of Manchester City which signalled the shift in footballing power within Manchester – became the first player to depart the Etihad premises in the overhaul taking place under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola.

AS Monaco’s 22-year-old midfielder Bernardo Silva has travelled to Manchester ahead of his potential move to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, as per the reports from Daily Telegraph.

The same source has further elaborated that Silva, who was one of the most influential figures in Monaco’s Ligue 1 triumph this season, arrived at the Manchester airport last night and is set to undergo a medical at Manchester City, and should everything goes as per their plan, the Portuguese international will become Pep Guardiola’s first signing ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window. Although nothing concrete has been spoken about the fee of the transfer, it is believed that Manchester City might have cashed in €60 million (£52.3 million), as this was the price-tag Monaco slapped on his head.

Manchester City, on their part, didn’t waste their time in mapping a blueprint of next season as four players in Jesus Navas, Gael Clichy, Bacary Sagna and Willy Caballero were released by the club. Besides them, Pablo Zabaleta also confirmed his exit earlier this month while the future of Yaya Toure is still hanging in the midst of nowhere. Reports, a few days back, claimed that the Citizens are planning to offer him a new deal, although they aren’t sure as to whether the Ivorian will accept it or not.

Bernardo Silva’s move to the Etihad means the likes of David Silva and Kevin de Bruyne will have to fight for their first team spot, and although it will be expected of Bernardo to take his time to adjust to the rigours of the Premier League, the fact that David Silva is now 31 will affect Manchester City’s performance next season one way or the other.

West Ham United start clearout with three players leaving the club, Paris Saint-Germain join the race for out of contract French full-back, Zlatan Ibrahimovic provides an update on return, Juventus join Manchester United in the race for Bundesliga midfielder and Chelsea handed a boost as player says he wants to stay – all this in today’s Premier League transfer round-up:

Arbeloa, Calleri And Tore Leave West Ham

Alvaro Arbeloa, Jonathan Calleri and Gokhan Tore have left West Ham United after an unsuccessful one-year stint, the club has confirmed on Thursday.

Arbeloa joined the Hammers on a one-year deal in the last summer, but the club have decided not to extend his stay after he made just three appearances in the Premier League. Reportedly, they are close to signing former Manchester City defender Pablo Zabaleta, who is a free agent following his contract expiry with the Citizens.

Forward Calleri joined on a season-long spell from Deportivo Maldonado and departs after having just scored a single goal during his stay in 16 league appearances. Tore had joined from Turkish side Besiktas on loan for a fee of £2.5 million, along with an option to sign him permanently for £10 million. But the East Londoners have decided not to exercise that option after Tore’s season ended prematurely with a knee injury back in October 2016.

Manchester City defender Gael Clichy will leave the Etihad this coming summer following the end of his current contract with the Citizens, as per the reports from Sky Sports.

The 31-year-old Frenchman is amongst those seven City players whose contract is expiring at the end of the season and no talks about the same have been initiated by either party. A big overhaul is certainly expected at the Etihad this summer, hence some exits will certainly be expected.

Earlier this month, one of their defender in Pablo Zabaleta confirmed that he will be leaving the Etihad premises following his nine years of service. Besides that, several reports are claiming that City are planning to retain their one of the most important players in Yaya Toure, whose contract is also expiring at the end of the season.

Liverpool and Chelsea to fight it out for Serie A defender, Jose Mourinho eyes reunion with midfielder from former club, Tottenham willing to let go of first-teamer for £40 million, Manchester City leading the race for versatile defender from Ligue 1 and Champions League finalists Real Madrid targeting a move for midfield powerhouse from the Premier League – all this in the today’s transfer round-up of the Premier League;

Chelsea, Liverpool Still In For Koulibaly

Premier League champions Chelsea and rivals Liverpool are set to go head to head in the race for Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly.

The Frenchman has been long linked with a move to the Premier League, with Chelsea reportedly having a bid rejected last summer. And since then, Koulibaly has gone on to sign a new contract with the Partenopei extending his stay till June 2021. However, that hasn’t stopped the Blues from plotting an approach in the upcoming window, and Liverpool to have seemed to join the hunt.

Last month, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis left the door open for an exit in the summer. He was quoted as saying, by The Sun:

“If there’s a new offer from Chelsea for Koulibaly? It will depend on the player’s will, because if he doesn’t want to stay then he can leave.”

Koulibaly, if he does decide to leave, will not come cheaply and will cost in excess of £50 million.

Chelsea leading the race for most-wanted centre-back in the Premier League, Everton place a hefty price tag on exit-bound attacker, Arsenal to pry away young striker from London rivals, Stoke City’s Jack Butland on the radar of several English heavyweights and Manchester United to go head to head against Real Madrid for a 16-year old wonderkid – here’s what is going in today’s transfer news in our Premier League round-up:

Chelsea Lead Race For Van Dijk

Premier League’s most sought-after defender Virgil van Dijk is on his way to Chelsea according to reports. The Dutchman is a transfer target for the Blues along with Liverpool, Arsenal and Everton.

However, the 25-year old seems intent on joining up with the Premier League title winners Chelsea in the summer. Van Dijk has become one of the best defenders in the top flight since he joined the Saints from Scottish side Celtic in the past two years.

Southampton are under no pressure to sell Van Dijk in the summer as revealed by manager Claude Puel earlier this week, but are believed to be demanding a fee in the region of £50 million and upwards for the Dutchman’s services. (Daily Star)

Interest in Diego Costa from Chinese Super League mounts, Manchester City become the front-runners to land star goalkeeper from Italy, Real Madrid name their asking price for exit-bound James Rodriguez, 19-year old Nigerian sensation in negotiations with English clubs and Arsenal have completed their first signing ahead of next season – a look at what’s trending in the transfer tabloids today in our Premier League round-up:

Would Love To Sign Costa – Shanghai Shenhua Boss Gus Poyet Claims

Diego Costa seems to be a wanted man in the cash-rich Chinese Super League. After the Spaniard was linked with a move to CSL outfit Tianjin Quanjian, it seems now Shanghai Shenhua are also interested in the Chelsea man’s services.

Shenhua’s manager Gus Poyet recently said:

“I would love to [sign Costa] but it will be very difficult for us because of the quantity [of non-Chinese players] we have got.

“There are three who are playing. There would have to be a massive change to the structure of the club to be able to bring Diego here.

“I don’t know if it’s going to happen, I would never say ‘no, never’, but I would say it would be very difficult for him to come here.”

The 28-year old won his second Premier League title with Chelsea last week when the Blues defeated West Bromwich Albion 1-0 at the Hawthorns. But with speculations over his move to China refusing to die, we may well not see him in Chelsea colours next season.

Spanish club Real Betis are in advanced talks with Manchester City over the potential transfer of Nolito for a reported fee of just £3.4m, as per the reports from BBC.

The 30-year-old 16 times capped Nolito, after a fantastic Euro 2016, caught the attention of several European giants and Manchester City eventually emerged victorious. The Citizens shipped him in for a fee of around £13.8 million. His career at Etihad kicked off in fine fashion as he was given several first team opportunity, however, his presence eventually faded away. In 19 Premier League appearances so far, he has only managed four goals and two assists.

Should the negotiation goes as per the blueprint, Betis will be the fourth Spanish club of his career, having plying his trade with Barcelona, Granada and Celta Vigo before. The speculation might get a hit ahead in the process as Betis, who are sitting 15th on the La Liga log, might not afford to pay his £100,000-a-week wage pack.

Manchester City are ready to offer Yaya Toure a new contract, although they are unsure as to if the midfielder will accept it or not.

The 34-year-old Ivory Coast international was exiled by the new manager Pep Guardiola at the start of the season after his agent foul-mouthed the Spaniard, and the midfielder, eventually, had to apologise to earn his place into the first team. Back in November 2016, he was given his first start of the season against Crystal Palace and he proved his worth by bagging two important goals.

Even though he has been a regular feature for the Citizens since then, it is still unclear as to if whether he will stay at the Etihad or not, with his contract expiring at the end of the season. A big overhaul at the Etihad is expected in coming summer as Pep Guardiola will look to mould his men as per his blueprint, hence, a lot of exits will be witnessed.

Manchester City defender Pablo Zabaleta will leave the Citizens at the end of the season, after serving the club for nine long years.

The versatile 32-year-old Argentine has been a key cog for the Sky Blues since his £6.45m move from Espanyol back in 2008, and in his nine wonderful years, he has managed to lift two Premier League crowns and one FA Cup trophy.

Making more than 320 appearances for the Citizens, Zabaleta is Manchester City’s third longest-serving player after Joe Hart and Vincent Kompany. He, however, has failed to impress Pep Guardiola this season and the fact that he has only 11 Premier League starts to his name so far solely supports the statement.

In today’s transfer round-up Manchester United are set to make their long-term target the highest paid player in the Premier League, title challengers Tottenham Hotspur could lose their star full-back after a furious row with the manager. More Manchester United news as the Red Devils are in the driver’s seat to beat neighbours City to the signing of Danish goalkeeper while they could lose out on a potential defensive target to Inter Milan:

Antoine Griezmann To Become The Highest Paid Player in England

Manchester United will have to shell out wages close to £300,000-per-week if they are to sign top transfer target Antoine Griezmann, which would make him the best paid player in the Premier League.

The Frenchman has been linked heavily with a move to Old Trafford for quite some time now and the 20-time league winners are expected to complete the transfer in the summer.Griezmann, 26, has set the asking price high as United aren’t guaranteed of a spot in the UEFA Champions League yet, something which he would enjoy with his current club Atletico Madrid.

His wage demand would eclipse the current highest earners for the Red Devils – Paul Pogba and Wayne Rooney. The £295,000 that he has demanded would come up to a total of £77 million over five years and add to that the £76 million buy-out clause in his contract, the transfer cost United close to a whopping £155 million including the transfer fees and wages over the course of a five-year deal for the player.

Manchester United set to lose out on €100 million target from Italy to Chelsea, but preparing a move for a former Barcelona player playing in the Serie A, Manchester City ready to swap youngster in deal for 27-goal striker from Bundesliga, Arsenal captain Laurent Koscielny garners interest from native France and Liverpool ousted in race for left-back target from Napoli – here are the latest transfer scoops from tabloids that have been doing the rounds today:

Manchester United To Lose The Battle For Andrea Bellotti To Chelsea

Chelsea could beat rivals Manchester United to the signing of FC Torino striker Andrea Belotti as the striker wants to play in the UEFA Champions League.

The Blues are at the top of the Premier League standings and have confirmed their participation in Europe’s premiere football competition. On the other hand, Manchester United lie in the fifth place in the league, one point off the Champions League spot and face a tough fight to qualify.

Speaking to Sky Italia, Belotti said:

“The World Cup is the dream for any player, just like the Champions League.

“I never stopped to think about the weight of my price tag, because I always thought I should prove my worth on the pitch and those performances would ultimately set my value.”

On this day in 1998, the now English giant in Manchester City were relegated to the third-tier of English football.

This was the new low for the Sky Blues as this was their second relegation in three years. Back in 1996, they were brushed out of the Premier League and this led to several managerial chances in the team. After sacking Alan Ball at the start of the 1966-97 season, the Citizens brought Steve Coppell – who resigned just a few weeks later, claiming that the task is too stressful.

Then came Frank Clark, and the former Nottingham man managed to secure a 14th place finish in the 1996-97 season, however, with City being highly inconsistent, Clark was sacked from the helm and on came Joe Royle.

The side continued to struggle even after several changes and eventually, on this day in 1998, they were relegated to the third tier on the final day of the season. Having 45 points at their disposal, they started off the game sitting second bottom of the log, one point behind Port Vale, Portsmouth, and Stoke City. They, however, did manage to beat the Potters 5-2, but with Port Vale and Portsmouth also winning the game, City ended their season sitting the third bottom on the log, hence, were relegated to the third tier.

Liverpool set to slap a huge price tag on striker Daniel Sturridge, Jose Mourinho looks to invade the French Ligue 1 in the summer transfer window as he plans another huge outlay, Pep Guardiola to tempt Tottenham star with a bumper contract offer and Arsenal looking at Serie A to strengthen their defence– we bring you the latest scoops in today’s transfer round-up of the Premier League.

Liverpool Place A £40 Million Valuation on Daniel Sturridge

Liverpool will allow striker Daniel Sturridge to leave in the summer, only if the £40 million valuation is met, according to reports.

The 27-year old Englishman has struggled for game time this season under Jurgen Klopp due to injury problems and when fit, he hasn’t been able to fit into the scheme of things under Jurgen Klopp. Sturridge was of interest for French heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain in the last summer and is also a target for West Ham United.

Liverpool, over the years, have made huge profits from sales of their strikers, be it Fernando Torres to Chelsea, Luis Suarez to Barcelona and more recently Christian Benteke to Crystal Palace. And with Sturridge’s future looking bleak at Anfield, the Reds believe they can sell him for a large fee in the summer.

n today’s transfer roundup, we look at the probable entries of an earlier Conte enforcer, Claudio Marchisio at Chelsea, and in Manchester City’s seasonal overhaul, Youri Tielemans. The massive Eden Hazard transfer gets another view in other Chelsea news and in more news from Manchester, Joe Hart’s future seems to be up in the air. Kevin Stewart is looking at a surprise move from Liverpool to Brighton.

The Hazard-ous question to ask

Eden Hazard has returned to the dazzling heights last seen under Jose Mourinho in May 2015, and the large clubs are circling around again with the next transfer window around the corner. If he was not ready for a major move the last time, after a season of poor form, his comeback this season is pleasing, with 15 goals and five assists in 31 games. Real Madrid have made their interest clear and will give him the No.10 role of the playmaker who runs into space and scores from distance if players such as James and Isco leave. Madrid could use more goal scorers apart from the three attackers present in the 4-3-3 system Zidane tends to use. The pressure will be on him to deliver, having seen James being relegated to the bench for his inconsistency, and he will have improved his mental strength after last season, to move to a club the size of Madrid and deliver. (The Guardian)

Claudio Marchisio to add experience to Chelsea’s midfield?

If Chelsea are set to lose Cesc Fabregas, Claudio Marchisio will add experience to a midfield lacking in an organiser and a deep-lying playmaker. Juventus are demanding £25 million, rejecting Chelsea’s £17 million bid for a player who has not been afforded many opportunities under Max Allegri this season, with 15 appearances in 34 matches. He has been loyal to Juventus so far, but would be able to move to Chelsea to work under his old coach Antonio Conte, who enabled his role in a title-winning team. At Chelsea, his role will be to provide guidance to Nemanja Matic and N’Golo Kante, along with adding steel and long-range passes from the base of Chelsea’s midfield. With Chelsea’s entry into European competition guaranteed, competition and squad depth are necessary and Marchisio is a perfect it in the 3-4-3 system Conte uses. (The Independent)

Today’s transfer roundup discusses the plausible entries of Real Madrid midfield pair of James Rodriguez and Mateo Kovacic to the Premier League, disillusioned with the playing time both have received. Hector Bellerin from Arsenal has been on Barcelona’s radar, as they need a right back. Another top right back in the Premier League, Kyle Walker, playing for Arsenal’s north London rivals Tottenham, is being linked with a move to Manchester City. Daniel Sturridge is being linked with a move to West Ham to rejuvenate his recently injury-crocked career at Liverpool.

James eyes the No.10 jersey, again

James Rodriguez was the man of the moment when he signed for Real Madrid from AS Monaco. Two seasons later, he has fallen out of favour, having to play the role of a substitute behind the galacticos in the Madrid side. He can play on the right wing and behind the striker, and Jose Mourinho would use his pace and ability to add goals to his side, with six goals and six assists in a mere 18 appearances in La Liga. With the pressure on his attackers this season, Mourinho would look to strengthen and show intent for a Manchester United side ready to return to the pinnacle of English football. James will have his work cut out, to impress his manager in training and tracking back to win the ball in matches, or as he has learned at Madrid, the price and the number on the shirt are not enough to guarantee his place in the team. (ESPN)

With Kylian Mbappe and Ryan Sessegnon seeming to join the Premier League, Willian in an inter-city transfer and Dele Alli to be held on to by Tottenham, with Cesc Fabregas on his way out; young players are the focus of most clubs through the transfer window, with value to offer through the medium-term and the ability of clubs to nurture young talent instead of looking for the finished product takes precedence.

Kylian Mbappe, the next Monaco sensation to Arsenal?

Kylian Mbappe has been making the headlines for the right reasons. He has scored __ goals in __ appearances through his first season at the club, and like most Monaco strikers who move abroad in search of better opportunities to test themselves after Ligue 1, Mbappe is set for a move to the Premier League at a bumper transfer fee and plenty of wages. Arsene Wenger admitted interest in the young striker who is moving to the top of the lists of the top clubs with the financial muscle and league standing to enter a bidding war. However, he has put Arsenal further down the list of clubs that have the financial capacity to broker the transfer, with the £85 million clause set by Monaco, and both clubs in Manchester along with the likes of Real Madrid willing to wager a deal. (Sky Sports)

Ryan Sessegnon to Liverpool

Liverpool have scoured the market for a left-back who will slot into the place without fuss and has looked within fellow English clubs for the right fit, and Ryan Sessegnon has impressed Jurgen Klopp’s scouts. With Alberto Moreno set to go and James Milner having impressed, Klopp would want a young player who can be groomed into the role. With seven goals in 28 appearances in the Championship this season, he can fit into a 3-4-3 system as a wingback, that Jurgen Klopp is likely to use to plug his leaky defence next season. He could have a fight on his hands to win a place ahead of the settled James Milner and a fit Joe Gomez, and he has shown gumption to fight and win a place in the Fulham senior team this season. (Mirror)

The derby between both Manchester sides ended in a draw, with no goals scored. The derby was all about strong defending; Eric Bailly for United and Vincent Kompany for City marshalled their respective defences to perfection, blunting potential attacks from the opposition. Marouane Fellaini was involved in a fracas with Sergio Aguero which led to his sending off for a headbutt, to add to the fireworks and add to a tense battle.

Player ratings:

Manchester City

Claudio Bravo 6

Did not concede, even if he was not always at his best in a huge derby. Will do his confidence a world of good.

Pablo Zabaleta 7

Sprightly on his comeback, made tackles and his awareness to match a pacy Anthony Martial were spot-on.

Vincent Kompany 8.5

Was the leader in defence Manchester City have missed often this season. Defended well, organised his defence well and made decisive tackles.

Nicolas Otamendi 6.5

Comfortable in defence alongside Kompany and gave him the support he needed to handle United.

Aleksandr Kolarov 6.5

Is the utility-man, and in his preferred position, put in a good shift without making many foraying runs forward.

Both sides of Manchester will collide in the derby at the Etihad Stadium to fight for their top-4 slots for direct qualification to the UEFA Champions League. Manchester City and Manchester United have wobbled through the season, dropping points unexpectedly, but have games in hand over their challengers which should keep them in good stead towards the end of the season. Tactical displays of dominance aside, Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho will continue their ugly rivalry which promises to add to the fireworks.

The reverse fixture between the clubs ended in an away win to Manchester City, 1-2, as Pep Guardiola’s team was on an unbeaten run at that point, but United are now on an unbeaten run and it is to be seen if Pep Guardiola can tactically outsmart United in their clash today.

In each of their last league games, United beat Burnley 0-2 away with goals from Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial, while City beat Southampton 0-3 away with goals from Vincent Kompany, Sergio Aguero and Leroy Sane, as the forgotten men consigned to the bench on both sides of Manchester spring back to form to close out the season strongly, as Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola deal with injuries to their key players.

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has been ruled out of the Manchester Derby, reports from Sky Sports have confirmed.

The Devils are scheduled to travel to Etihad tomorrow and with Ibrahimovic and Marcos Rojo already out, the absence of Paul Pogba will be a major setback for Manchester United. The Frenchman was limped off in United’s 2-0 win over Burnley at Turf Moor. Furthermore, there were also some doubts about the participation of Antonio Valencia and Ander Herrera, however, both have been given a green signal ahead of this crucial tie.

United are just one point behind fourth-placed Manchester City and a win over their city rivals would be a huge boost to their Champions League quest.

Furthermore, Mourinho, on his part, said that the battle for a top-four finish is more important than the local bragging rights.

A few days back, the 37-year-old Spaniard hailed Dele Alli and his brilliant performances, saying that he is “one of the best in Europe”. Xavi further added that technically, Alli is the player Pep would love to bring in at the Etihad, mainly because Alli’s playing style will suit Guardiola’s blueprint.

Responding to all of it, Mauricio Pochettinho has described Xavi as his ‘enemy’. He also added that Xavi ‘hates’ Pochettino mainly because of the fact that he played at Espanyol while Xavi served Espanyol’s inter-city rivals Barcelona.

“He’s in a period when he loves to talk, he’s in Doha [playing for Al Sadd] and listen, he was Barcelona player, he’s my enemy,” Pochettino was quoted by Sky Sports.

“He tried to destroy our focus to win because he hates me because he’s Barcelona – player, fans, you know.

“I know him [Xavi] very well, I played against him a lot and when I was a manager [at Espanyol].”

Former Barcelona midfielder Xavi has said that his erstwhile compatriot and current Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is considering making a move for Tottenham’s hot-shot Dele Alli.

The Spaniard has described the 21-year-old Dele Alli as “one of the best in Europe” and quite rightly so. Since his £5 million move to Tottenham Hotspur from M K Dons, Alli has been nothing short of a revelation at White Hart Lane. In his very first season with the Lilly Whites, the youngster scored ten Premier League goals and further assisted nine strikes.

The ongoing season as been the same story for him. He alongside Harry Kane, has been shipping tons of goals and on his part, he has already bagged 16 goals and five assists. And now, the Spanish world cup winner, Xavi, has said that Guardiola would love to bring Alli at the Etihad.

“I speak with Pep, and I know he thinks it is important to sign English players,” Xavi told The Sun.

“I am sure in the summer he will look also across Europe for players to improve the squad, but also I expect him to look in The Premier League as well.

“At the moment the best English player there is and also one of the best in Europe is Dele Alli. We are looking at a very special player.”

Arsenal will take on Manchester City in the semi-finals of the Emirates FA Cup 2017 at the Wembley Stadium on Sunday.

Both the teams have long fallen out of the race for the Premier League title and see this opportunity as a chance to finish the season with a silverware.

Gunners’ boss Arsene Wenger is under severe pressure to deliver, after having seen his side crash out of the UEFA Champions League and having slipped out of the top-four positions in the league, with qualification for next season’s European football’s premiere event looking unlikely. Arsenal qualified for the semi-finals, after they trounced non-league club Lincoln City 5-0.

Pep Guardiola too will be hoping to finish the campaign with a trophy success, after what has been an underwhelming first season with Manchester City. The Citizens made it to the final four of the competition after defeating Premier League side Middlesbrough 2-0.

The two teams have clashed twice in the league this season, with City getting the better of Arsenal on one occasion and the other match ending in a 2-2 draw, earlier this month.

However, Manchester City will come into the match with the confidence that they have progressed from each of their last eight FA Cup semi-finals, most recently in 2013 against Chelsea. Their last defeat at this stage was in 1932 against Arsenal.

The Gunners, though, have won the FA Cup twice in the past three years and will be keen on standing a chance to add one more to their record 12 FA Cup triumphs.

Torino manager Sinisa Mihajlovic has revealed that they want to resign their on-loan goalkeeper Joe Hart from Manchester City but only on loan.

The 29-year-old England international joined the Italian outfit past summer as soon as Pep Guardiola arrived at Manchester City, and since then, he has been a regular fit for the I Granata, making 29 league appearances, keeping 5 clean sheets and also claiming 95% success.

There is no denying the fact that Pep Guardiola wants to sell Hart, as he does not see him as the one for his blueprint. And it is also expected that he will only offload him to a foreign club, but what is making this speculation more intricate is the fact that the Citizens are demanding a fee of £15 million plus, and the player himself will call for a wage pack of around £120,000-a-week. And that figure is certainly quite high to match.

With one month to go before the Premier League season ends, the teams close to the top are scrambling to finish in the slots for European competition, specifically the UEFA Champions League. With Chelsea seven points ahead of the nearest competitor, their spot in the UEFA Champions League is assured.

From among Tottenham, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United, Sportswallah performs a SWOT analysis to pick which teams will make the top-4 apart from Chelsea.

Tottenham:

Strengths: The team has been determined to take the fight to Chelsea in recent weeks. They came close to winning last year, and with or without Harry Kane, they have looked to score goals and attack the opposition.

Weakness: The lack of strikers apart from Harry Kane. Delle Alli and Son Heung-Min are not out-and-out strikers, while Vincent Janssen has not found his feet in English football yet.

Wilfred Zaha has been a shining light in Crystal Palace’s floundering campaign. With six goals and nine assists, he has been involved in a third of Palace’s goals in the league this season. The bigger clubs are starting to circle for a player whose club is involved in a relegation struggle, and at 24, he is matured enough to seize his opportunity at a top club and deliver.

Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City have been linked to him, and the chances that he will leave Palace again are 80% if he gets the right opportunity – unlike his last stint at a top club in the form of Manchester United, where he was Sir Alex Ferguson’s last buy before he fell out of favour with David Moyes and went back to Crystal Palace on a loan, before they bought him back from United. Under Sam Allardyce, he has been given the license to cut in from the wing and score, and his self-confidence is back to where it was before his move to United, after two years of finding his feet at Palace again.

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